It might have taken her 23 starts to win a race but trainer Alan Paisley reckons tough Sir Lincoln four-year-old Theodora Hope has more in the locker.

And Paisley has another Sir Lincoln surprise package waiting in the wings which he suspects could be even better.

Theodora Hope was the 2-1 favourite when she scored a gritty win at Invercargill last Sunday, sitting parked for the last 1400 metres, hitting the lead early in the run home and staving off an army of attackers to win by half a head.

The win, though overdue, did not surprise Paisley given the reports regular driver Allan Beck had been giving him in the last few months.

“She’d run second or third and Allan would come back saying they weren’t going hard enough for her. She’s a good stayer, and can tough it out like her mum.’’

Mum, Princess Delight, a Bettor’s Delight mare, which is repeatedly proving a successful cross for Sir Lincoln, won four races for Paisley from 68 starts.

“She had heaps of placings also (16 of them) and went 1:54.1 one day at Wyndham.’’

Paisley is hoping that with her ability to stay, Theodora Hope will get even better higher in the grades, when the pace is faster.

Tracing back to New Zealand Oaks winners Hurrania (1974) and Arania (1959), Paisley mated Princess Delight with Sir Lincoln because he was a good colonial bred stallion who was a “pretty good racehorse.’’

He liked the fact Sir Lincoln had Direct Scooter blood which he hoped would speed up the family.

His wishes look they might have been granted too because, having taken advantage of a great deal and returned to Sir Lincoln with the mare, he is now educating a two-year-old named Ngaroma which he really likes.

“He’s thrown a bit to Mach Three and isn’t 100 percent in the head yet but he feels like he can run. At this stage I think he might be better than the other one.’’

Sir Lincoln Top 10

Did you know…

1. CUP DAY BIRTH: It was preordained Sir Lincoln would be a headliner when he was born just hours before the 2006 New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington. Three years later to the day, and almost the hour, he annihilated his rivals on the same course in the Sires’ Stakes Final.

2. AGE NO BARRIER: In his second last race start, at the age of six, Sir Lincoln paced the fastest 1700 metres in New Zealand history, 2:00.5, beating Gold Ace and clocking a mile rate of 1:54 at Alexandra Park. Champion pacer Elsu held the previous record at 2:01.1.

3. ON THREE LEGS: Sir Lincoln ran his last race virtually on three legs, when second to Terror To Love in an Interdominion heat at Auckland. He had to be pulled out of the Melbourne series, and retired, when found to have a subluxated pastern joint - basically his ankle joint was dislocated.

4. SWIFT GOLDEN MILE: Sir Lincoln’s fastest mile was recorded in the 2012 Group III Golden Mile at Menangle in Sydney when he was nosed out by Captain Joy in 1:51.4. He was known by the name Lincoln Royal in Australia.

5. AT THE REINS: One for the trivia fans - how many drivers did Sir Lincoln have in his 57-start career? Maurice McKendry was Linc’s pilot throughout his career but he was MIA four times when the horse was handled by James Stormont, Ken Barron and Blake Fitzpatrick (twice).

6. WINNERS KEEP COMING: In only his third season with runners on the track, Sir Lincoln has already sired the winners of 30 races despite having limited numbers to represent him. Last season in New Zealand alone he had 16 winners from only 39 starters and this term he already has six winners from just 18 starters.

7. SOMEBEACH SOME RAP: Breeding buffs made a beeline for Sir Lincoln after superstar racehorse and stallion Somebeachsomewhere had to be put down with cancer. Sir Lincoln is 7/8th bred on the same cross as Somebeachsomewhere - by Mach Three out of a Beach Towel mare who is in turn out of a Cam Fella mare.

8. DISCOUNT FOR LOYALTY: Broodmare owners are returning to Sir Lincoln in droves. Taken by the attractive foals he is leaving, many book straight back to the Alabar-based sire and take advantage of Lincoln Farms’ loyalty scheme which cuts his service fee in half to just $1250 plus GST.

9. TIME BEST FRIEND: Sir Lincoln’s progeny are mirroring the sire’s own start on the racetrack, benefitting from a little time to mature. The best the horse himself could manage as a two-year-old was one third from four starts but he was a different animal at three, winning four of his first five starts.

10. MEGASTAR’S FREAK DEATH: A freak accident claimed the life of valuable broodmare Lincoln’s Megastar, a full sister to Sir Lincoln. The mare, who opened her career with a nine and a half length walloping at Auckland, was retired after six wins, but left only one foal. She was killed when crushed by a fallen tree in a violent storm. Woodlands Stud has another full sister in two-year-old Moonlighting who is in training with Ray Green.